Neon Genesis Evangelion : The Cat and the Puppy
by Cenobia Vigantzky
Summary: Mari Illustrious Makinami is transferred across timelines, without her memories. Her last wish was to make Shinji happy. Will she be able to? WAFF, Mari x Shinji.
1. Chapter 1

This is an idea that cropped up into my head one night, and I was _dying_ to write it. So, enjoy!

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a trademark of Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara, this is purely a fan work.

* * *

NGE: The Cat and the Puppy

Mari Illustrious Makinami floated in the sea of LCL, the decaying face of Lilith with it's frozen smile breaking the horizon.

"That's not gone well." She sighed, quite bored of being seemingly the only human not dissolved.

'Not gone well', of course, was a hideous understatement. The world had ended. Third Impact had happened and holy crapbaskets, it wasn't pretty.

And now she was alone.

Or so she thought, as Rei... or what may be Rei, gently approached her floating through the air, her body with a faint white glow.

" 'sup Blue. Sorry I couldn't help more." She shrugged, not worried about sinking in the extra-buoyant liquid.

"Do not blame yourself, Makinami. Few cycles manage to avoid a full impact, it tends to happen sooner or later." The image of Ayanami answered, a kind expression on her face.

"Cycles?" The brown-haired pilot asked, raising an eyebrow. At least she had someone to talk to now.

"Cycles. Timelines. None of these definitions are entirely correct, yet they are not wrong either. Suffice to say, this is not the only reality." The bluenette explained as best as she could with her newfound knowledge.

"So it _is_ a multiverse. Hah, Red owes me 2000 yen." She chuckled.

"However, this cycle ended in a... most unusual way. No souls should have been left out of instrumentality, yet yours was. I do not know why." 'Rei' seemed troubled.

Sniffing, Mari blinked. "Well, balls. I've been turned away at paradise's door and the manager doesn't know why. So, what do we do, Blue?" She asked, curious.

"I cannot influence a completed instrumentality. Yet, this cycle cannot continue properly with you still here. I can, however, send you to another one. You would not carry any memories, but your personality would still be the same. Do you have any preference?"

The glowing, floating being asked, suddenly upbeat.

"Hmm.." The brit wondered, recalling everything that had happened leading up to the end of the world. "I kinda want to try and make Puppy-kun happy somehow. He was so miserable, despite always trying his best. He deserves better. And he is quite cute in a way."

"Very well, Mari Illustrious Makinami. I wish you good luck in your next life. Farewell." At that, the smiling being gently touched her cheek, a strong drowsiness sending her into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Hmmmm..." The Second Child groaned as she woke up in her cabin. Dangit, she did _not_ sleep well last night. The excitement was getting to her.

She would _finally_ meet the Third Child! Mari had poured over his file several times in the last few days. 3 Angel kills, 2 of those solo and one with no training whatsoever. Then again, there was something else that seemed to attract her to him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she wanted to be his friend. Of course that came with relentless teasing from Kaji, her so-called Guardian, but then again she had also been teasing him about his old girlfriend and Shinji's own Guardian, Misato Katsuragi.

All in all, the Makinami/Kaji household was a brother and sister relationship, and one she'd miss.

"Oh godsdamnit."

She _had_ , in all her thinking, missed that fact that it was already 9 AM and that the helicopter with the NERV-Tokyo party would be arriving in half an hour. Jumping out of bed and all but flying to the bathroom, she hurriedly tried to make herself presentable.

Sure, one could say she was still ridiculously well developed and pretty for her age regardless of her state of readiness, but she wanted to look _nice._

As the helicopter approached the deck of the supercarrier _Over the Rainbow_ , Shinji could see the crew running back and forth preparing to receive them. Somewhere behind him Kensuke was still gushing about all the military hardware on show (as he had been doing for a solid 7 minutes previously since the fleet had came into view), while Toji had, mercifully, given up on his hitting on Misato, realizing that she was so out of his league it wasn't even funny.

After a somewhat bumpy landing, the stooges, as they were called in class, were heading towards the bridge with Katsuragi when a strong gust of wind picked up Toji's new hat, sending it sprawling forward across the Deck. Before he could even get into a full sprint after it, however, a carefully manicured hand stopped the hat in it's tracks, handing it to the jock when he caught up.

Shinji had seen some pretty girls in his life, Ayanami one of the foremost among them, but the visage in front of him was enough to make his heart stop beating for a few seconds.

Boots, tights and a turtleneck with a furry collar in a mix of black with some pink accents surrounded the body of a green eyes, bespectacled girl with dual long brown tails that moved in the wind. And then, she turned towards him and smiled. A smile so warm he wish he could've melted in it.

However, the voice of his Guardian broke him out of his reverie. "MARI! Come here, girl!" Misato said happily, opening her arms.

In response, Makinami threw herself in her old friend's embrace, hugging her warmly. "Misa-chan! Gods, I've missed you so much! It's been far too long." The Second Child reluctantly broke the hug, still holding the Major's hands.

"You've GROWN! Look at you! I better watch out or you'll steal all the guys!" The purple haired woman praised, giving the girl a princess spin to check her out properly. It wasn't empty praise; the last time Misato had seen Mari had been 4 years ago, and she had definitely grown since then, and not only up.

Turning her attention to the two boys besides her friend (Toji was still where he was given his hat back, seemingly unable to move out of sheer shock), she pointed at Shinji with a confident smile.

"Shinji Ikari! Third Child, and Pilot of Unit 01." Approaching him, she happily extended a hand in greeting. "Mari Makinami, Second Child, Pilot of Unit 02. Nice to meet you, I've been looking forward to it."

For a fraction of a second, Shinji's brain was trying to deal with everything that was happening in front of him. When he finally managed to snap himself out of the deep and warm green pools that were behind the red-framed glasses of the girl that seemed to completely eclipse everything in her vicinity, he hurriedly took her hand. It was _soft._

"Ah, uh... hi. I'm Shinji Ikari, although you already know that... it's nice to meet you too, Makinami-san." He managed to stutter out with much effort, willing every fiber of his being to not freeze completely on the spot. Misato was honestly thinking he might short-circuit.

"Hmmmm, that sounds so formal though...Ah, I know how to fix that!" And then she hugged him.

Literally, full-on hugged him.

He was trying to process the rose perfume, the warmth and especially the _softness_ pressing against his chest, but it was simply too much, and all he could do was instinctively hug back weakly.

Breaking the hug, she smiled at him happily. "See? Now I can call you Shinji and you can call me Mari!"

However, he didn't answer, on account of being frozen in place. Waving her hand in front of his face, Katsuragi sighed. "Please slow down Mari. I think you broke him." Chuckling, she switched her attention out of politeness and greeted the other stooges with waves of her hand and smiles, which were returned, if dazedly, in kind.

As the party made their way to the bridge, with the girls in front, they missed Toji and Kensuke suddenly bombarding Shinji with questions ranging from "Dude what colony or shit are you using" and "Can I have some".

"Lady Katsuragi, I presume. Welcome to the Over the Rainbow, pride of the UN Pacific Fleet, and carrier of Evangelion Unit 02." The old grizzled captain spoke with his deep voice, a polite bow signaling his respect.

"Thank you, Captain Anderson. It is an honor to be aboard." Giving a sharp salute, the Major and Commander of Operations of NERV was very relieved that the captain was not one of those stuffy old guards that refused to give NERV respect.

Noticing Shinji and the stooges also coming into the bridge, he threw a quick questioning look at Mari, who simply pointed at the one in the middle. Walking over to Shinji, the difference in size between Captain and Pilot was very evident.

"Pilot Shinji Ikari. I, in the name of all of my men, thank you for your bravery in combat in NERV's efforts to save humanity." At that, all the crew currently in the bridge followed their captain at giving the Third Child a sharp salute.

For the second time today, Shinji was speechless. People he didn't even _knew_ were _saluting_ him. Quickly making sure he wasn't going to cry, he did his best to salute back.

"I.. uh... thank you, everyone. I will do my best." He stuttered, completely amazed that he was, for the first time in his life, feeling _proud_ at something he'd done. As the crew went back to their work, Misato approached and patted his shoulder,

"Told you, kid. What you do, it's something to be proud of. No matter what the commander says or don't says, know that there are people who trust you and believe in you." At hearing his guardian's words, the Third's eyes became misty again. Today was a _very_ memorable day so far.

"Indeed, Shinji. You're a bit of a hero around these parts."

The voice was unmistakable for Katsuragi, who turned towards the stairs to see who she knew would be there. "Kaji. Long... time no see." The forlorn voice of the Operations Director was easy for Shinji to notice, which made him feel a pang of pain for her inside.

"Katsuragi... indeed, long time. It is good to see you again." The spy said softly, the look in his eyes one of guilt, regret, and hope.

Fully aware of the climate shift in the room, Mari pulled one of the lower crewman aside and told him to babysit the stooges for a bit. Turning to Shinji, however, she beamed warmly. "Hey, Shinji, wanna come see my Eva?" At her very obvious wink and head tilt towards the old couple, even he got the hint.

"Oh, uhmm... sure." He agreed, wanting to give the adults some privacy. However, he was not prepared to what he saw when he reached Mari at the start of the stairs. There she was, hand extended to him, looking up at him in such a _kind_ way that for a second, he thought she might be an Angel, a real one and not one of the abominations they were forced to fight. Managing a shy smile back between his heart's furious beating, he took her hand and followed her down.

* * *

"Haahh... hahhh..." Makinami breathed heavily into the LCL, adrenaline leaving her body as they were reeled back. Gaghiel had attacked with no warning, which meant Shinji had to go inside the entry plug with her, and since he was shorter, sit on her lap as they controlled the pink Evangelion in unison. Now that the Angel's corpse was sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the boy went oddly quiet, however.

Curious and somewhat worried, Mari spoke up. "Hey, Shinji, you ok?" She quietly asked, moving her head over his shoulder to be able to see him somewhat.

Shinji Ikari was ok. In fact, he was _very_ ok. After they delivered the killing blow on Gaghiel, he had simply relaxed into the Second Child's lap, her hands still covering his own on the Induction Levers. For the first time since all this mess started, he felt _safe_. It was such a nice and rare feeling that he allowed himself to simply enjoy it, not even fully aware of how close he was to Mari. Her voice near his ear, however, had two effects:

One, it snapped him out of his trance and jolted him back into reality.

Two, the whole situation of being in an extremely attractive girl's lap finally clicked in, which in turn _fiercely_ awoke a... certain part of his anatomy. Which was double unfortunate considering he was wearing one of _her_ plugsuits, who were _quite_ tight in that area for him.

Hurriedly, he crossed his legs and excused himself repeatedly as he tried to explain that he simply zoned out, while Mari simply chuckled. Before the plug was ejected as they were lifted back into the carrier however, he felt a pair of pink-covered arms wrapping him into an embrace from behind. As he froze completely, the pilot of Unit 02 whispered warmly into his ear.

"You're cute, Third."

At that, the plug finished draining and she sneaked out from under him, heading towards the hatch. Before she stepped out however, she gave the bewildered boy one last caring smile and a wink.

Shinji Ikari would remember this day forever.

* * *

Surprise! This is a little side project I've been wanting to do. I actually really like the Shinji x Mari couple, and thought it needed some love. The chapters will be shorter than GotBM and will focus more on their relationship than the plot as a whole.

Yes, Mari is the Second Child in this verse, substituting Asuka. It was the best way I found to avoid conflict and be able to just focus on them.

As always, please review if you can, it really motivates me! And feel free to follow if you wish to be notified when a new chapter is uploaded.

Cover Image is by the amazing yuuShino on deviantart.

Ciao!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello folks! Told y'all I'd be uploading more often. Since so many of you liked it, here is the continuation of Mari and Shinji's Journey of WAFF

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a trademark of Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara. This is purely a fan work.

* * *

NGE: The Cat and the Puppy Ch.2

Shinji Ikari sighed as he approached the apartment in the mid-afternoon sun. School was _way_ more eventful than he liked, thanks to a picture of the Second Child that made the rounds thanks to a certain bespectacled military otaku, plus the fact that Toji was telling to anyone who'd listen that she was all over the Pilot of Unit 01.

With that came the wave of questions (and envy) from the boys, and even further interest from the girls than the usual. And if that was not enough, there were rumors that Makinami was going to join their class, which was a notion that the boy feared and looked forward to in equal measure.

Honestly, he'd never been so... _overwhelmed_ his entire life. From what little time he spent with Mari, she appeared to be as energetic as she was beautiful, and his brain still struggled to process that when coupled with the fact that she was so... _intense_ towards him, for lack of a better word.

'You're cute, Third.'

Those whispered words were stuck in his head from the moment she said them to the current time. He'd mulled over them countless times as he was in bed trying to sleep last night. Did she really mean that? And in what way? At this rate, he'd end up going crazy from overthinking things.

Deciding to ask Misato's opinion, even if she was going to tease him until the heat death of the Universe, he finally arrived at the apartment.

"I'm home." He called out. Immediately, he noticed the couple of boxes in the corridor that lead to the bedrooms. The shower was running, so that meant his Guardian probably wouldn't answer thanks to the water noise.

"Welcome home!" A cheery voice with an unmistakable British accent answered from inside the bedroom that was empty up to this morning.

Shinji froze in place as his brain refused to believe what it'd heard.

However, there wasn't much his brain could do to deny seeing Mari Makinami walking out from the, now hers, room, wearing a pair of comfortable looking gray shorts and a faded pink loose top that she was still in the process of putting on, which meant the boy had a full view of her ample...assets, covered as they were by a black lacy bra before she finally managed to pull the garment down into place.

'Yup, that's it. I've officially died on my way home from school and went to heaven.' He rationalized, completely unable to break his eyes from her warm smile.

Other than that, however, he was standing completely still, mouth half-open. Until the Second Child gently took his chin in her hand and started opening and closing his mouth while making fish noises and giggling frantically.

"Misa-chan, I've discovered a new species of frozen fish!" She chuckled out loud enough for the woman in the bathroom to hear. Opening the bathroom door and peeking her head out, Misato could barely contain her laughter at the still frozen Pilot of Unit 01.

Flicking her wet hand in his direction and managing to hit the poor boy right on the eye with specks of water, the commander of operations of NERV succeeded in bringing her charge out of his shocked state.

As the only male in the apartment rubbed and blinked his eyes, Misato stated happily. "We have a new roommate! Mari will be staying with us from now on. Do be nice and don't ravish her _too_ thoroughly, Romeo, she does need to be able to pilot."

At that, Misato giggled uncontrollably and closed the bathroom door, leaving the shorter of her two charges blushing and stuttering with eyes wide as saucers, and the other pouting mockingly and calling her a spoilsport.

Slowly calming himself down, although the nearly incandescent blush adorning his features would argue otherwise, Shinji finally managed to say something. "Hi... hi, Mari. Uhmm... welcome to the apartment. It's... good to see you again." He managed a shy smile, but still averted his eyes, afraid that he'd get lost in hers again.

Lifting him up in a surprise bear hug (and making him wonder how in all hells she was this _strong_ ), the Brit chuckled as she managed to catch him completely off guard. "Heeey, good to see you again too, Puppy-kun." As she put him down, he blinked several times confusedly.

"Puppy?" The sheer curiosity overwrote his shyness.

"Mhm, you're really nice and shy and sometimes scared but still try and you're also really cute. Hence, Puppy-kun. Don't worry, I'll still call you Shinji too." She added with a catlike smile after listing each point.

"Uh... right. Okay..." He scratched his cheek in embarrassment, deciding that trying to understand this girl was a fool's errand, so he'd be better off just going with it. It wasn't that she was complicated, it was that she was so _direct_ that it looped back around and almost became obtuse.

* * *

The afternoon ended with Mari convincing Shinji to help unpack her things, _including_ her underwear, much to the boy's embarrassment. At this point, he firmly believed that shame was a concept completely alien to this girl.

Later on as they ate a dinner that he had prepared (Makinami had offered to help but Shinji politely turned her down), he couldn't help but wonder. He'd met her _yesterday_ and since then he had more excitement, fun, and... _warmth_ than in as long as he could remember. Misato was a great person and he cared enormously for her, but she was also fighting her own demons. Mari, however? It was like she brought the sun wherever she went.

Unbeknownst to the Third however, during his musing his eyes ended up wandering to said girl, a faint smile on his face. Katsuragi did notice (Mari was far too busy stuffing her face with Shinji's cooking. Now Misato understood _why_ she was so well developed), but decided to let it go this time. Since her first charge had arrived from school, he'd been happier than she ever saw him. As much as Mari managed to embarrass him repeatedly, a shy smile and hopeful look always returned to his face a moment later.

And she _knew_ the girl was definitely sweet for him. Sure, the Second Child had always been cheerful and upbeat, but Katsuragi would be _damned_ if she didn't recognize the smiles Mari'd been giving Shinji. They reminded her of the ones she'd give to Kaji when they were in college, but at the same time they were... different. The care was more evident than the passion.

Still, she couldn't help but be concerned. They were both teenagers, and who knew how a whirlwind relationship like the one she could see on the horizon would affect them and their piloting. As much as she would loathe to admit, that was the most important thing.

* * *

As the night wore on and the girl convinced Shinji to play a co-op shooter together on the console she had hooked up to the living room TV earlier on the day, however, Misato couldn't help but smile at them. They were working together, one covering when the other would have to reload, and even taking down bosses with little difficulty. It gave her hope for the future, both of the two and of the world as a whole. And as she saw Shinji uncertainly answering a high-five only for Mari to grab his arm and pull him into a noogie, she was certain of at least one thing:

Gods _damn_ if they weren't going to make an adorable couple.

* * *

Shinji stared at the sink thoughtfully, two empty bentos laying nearby. Normally, his own would be some simple rice, sausages and vegetables or some miso soup with tofu, but now he had to think about the one for the girl who was currently humming(nyah-ning?) in the bath, and, consequently, making him smile like an idiot.

Sighing, he decided that no, he had no idea what sort of food the British girl liked. She seemed to really enjoy last night's dinner, but (at least according to Misato, he was too busy daydreaming) she ate so fast that she might as well have not have even tasted it.

In an act that would've been unthinkable before, he decided to take a page out of said girl's book and _just ask her_.

"Mari? What would you like on your school lunch?" He asked, hopefully loud enough that she'd be able to hear. Normally he would've _at least_ added the -san, but he _still_ wasn't able to properly untangle his hair after the noogie she gave him last night for doing that. Noticing that the girl hadn't answered, he moved close to the bathroom door and was about to ask again, when said bathroom door opened.

To a, thankfully for his poor heart, towel-covered Mari.

"Anything, really. The dinner you made last night was delicious, so I trust your taste." She said cheerfully, giggling as she noticed Shinji immediately turning away and blushing furiously. "You- You didn't need to open the door to answer it, y'know?"

At that, the girl grinned. "And miss the chance of you being cute and blushing? Never." Which, just as she expected, only made him blush harder. To his credit, he _did_ manage to avoid breaking into stutters this time.

"Anyway, don't worry, just make something you also like. I'll go get dressed." At that, Makinami closed the door and took off the tower covering her body, _barely_ in that order. Going back to the sink, the ever-overthinking young Ikari proceeded to, what would you know, overthink things.

'Cute and blushing'

'You're cute, Third.'

Those lines, together with her smiles and closeness were confusing the hell out of the boy. The possibility that the nicest, cheeriest, most beautiful girl he'd ever _seen_ , let alone met, wanted anything with him made the Pilot of Unit 01 want to scream in joy.

Even confused as he was he'd been smiling practically nonstop since yesterday simply by her _presence_. And every time he thought that, the other part of his brain would come in and rationalize that no, that was just how Mari was with _everyone_ , and that he was completely _delusional_ to think such an amazing girl would want anything to do with him.

Deep in his thoughts as he was, he barely noticed finishing both lunches, or the bathroom door opening. He did notice however when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and gently made him sit at a nearby chair. Surprised, he tried whipping his head around, but an amused voice chastised him. "Easy there, puppy-kun. I just want to fix your hair. I know my noogies can be legendary." She giggled, running her fingers through Shinji's hair and carefully undoing any tangles.

As she did so and hummed a pleasant tune, the Third Child found himself letting out a pleased noise as he closed his eyes. In fact, feeling Mari's fingers running through his hair felt _heavenly_. It made him feel safe, just like when laying on her lap inside the Eva on the day they'd met.

It was odd. She was able to make him feel at peace, at _home_. Something he hadn't felt since his mother died and his 'father' abandoned him. Yet, this girl whom he met two days ago brought those nice feelings back effortlessly.

Meanwhile, the Second Child was pleasantly surprised at how the boy was pretty much _melting_ under her caress, all shyness gone and just small sounds coming from him as he relaxed more and more. It made her smile. Not her usual cheery smile or her mischievous cat smile, but a faint, content smile. She felt warm inside as she continued to caress his hair, any tangles long gone by now. It wasn't an excited warmth, it was a calm and happy warmth. Similar to what she'd feel during lazy sundays when watching a movie with Kaji and making jokes, only... more special.

"So, when is the Marriage?" The voice of one Major Katsuragi came in from behind them, and if Mari hadn't stepped back in time Shinji would've likely jumped back into her. As it was, he was in his very common state as of late, blushing furiously and trampling over his own words.

"Wha-? No! Mari was jus- She was fixing my hair!" the poor boy tried to explain, looking over at the girl in question and seeing her just shrugging with an amused look on her face.

"Yeah, riiiight... she was fixing your hair for 20 solid minutes. Mhm. Totally what she was doing." Misato humored completely deadpan, her expression telling that she didn't believe it one bit. At that, Shinji's eyes went wide as he looked at the wall clock in disbelief. "Wait, twenty min- What the hell, where did time go!? We gotta run or we'll be late for school Mari!" He hurriedly went to grab his bag and put his shoes, said girl following closely behind as their guardian just shook her head in mock disbelief.

"Your breakfast is in the microwave, we've already fed Pen-Pen, have a nice da-" Before the green eyed girl could finish however, Shinji had already grabbed her hand and pulled her into a run down the corridor.

With a hearty chuckle, Misato set about getting awake and fed for the morning. Her home life would never be the same, it seems.

* * *

So, here it is, the continuation! This story is turning out to be _way_ easier to write, since I have to worry about far less variables. Which in turn, means faster turnover of chapters!

It also has nothing to do with the fact that I daydream about being Mari and cuddling Shinji when I'm in bed. Nuh-uh.

As always, review if you can! It really helps and motivates me. And if you want to be notified when a new chapter comes up, feel free to follow!

Ciao!


	3. Chapter 3

And the third chapter arrives! The cute couple-to-be's adventure of romance continues, as they grow ever closer.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a trademark of Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara. This is purely a fan work.

* * *

NGE: The Cat and the Puppy Ch 3

As the duo finally arrived at the school gates, Shinji could barely breathe. He couldn't remember the last time he ran this much. He also found odd that his right hand was so warm until he noticed that _oh gods he was still holding Mari's hand_.

Breaking the contact in surprise, the Third Child immediately started apologizing, to which the girl simply gave him a warm smile that was able to make the words die in his throat.

He also noticed that although she didn't appear nearly as breathless as he was, Makinami _was_ breathing harder than normal, which meant her chest was moving, which also called his attention to a bead of sweat slowly making it's way down her neck, which meant _he should really stop staring at just how godsdamn pretty she is before his body starts letting it show._

With her smile changing to amused, Mari quipped. "I know you'd rather look at me than the blackboard, but we should get inside, shouldn't we Puppy-kun?"

As Shinji blushed, she took his hand and headed in.

* * *

When they finally arrived in class, Shinji went to his usual seat, waving to his friends and giving Ayanami, who sat behind him, a shy greeting.

And then Mari stepped inside and it seemed like every single student stopped breathing at once. They'd seen the picture, but the real girl radiated an energy which was breathtaking. Immediately, he could see the reverent and hungry looks from the male population, and _not few_ envious ones from the girls. If he had to say it, she _was_ prettier than anyone here, which considering some of the girls and _Ayanami_ , was not something he ever expected to think.

And then Shinji felt all eyes coming to rest on him as the cheerful girl took the empty seat at his front, and proceeded to lean her head back over her chair to give him a thumbs up.

Exchanging messages with the Class Rep, Mari decide she liked this girl. She was cute, and seemed to have a crush on Shinji's jock friend. As for the actual lessons, she _really couldn't be bothered_. She had been studying by herself the entire time Kaji was her guardian, and was quite a bit ahead of what they taught here. Her Kanji wasn't great, but Shinji could help with that.

* * *

As the Second Child was lost in her thoughts, however, lunch break rang. And with that, nearly _every male in the class together with some of the females_ made a beeline for her desk.

Excusing herself and having to repeat many times that _no, she was not interested, thank you_ , Mari finally managed to make her way to the door, Hikari and the three Stooges in tow. Only for an older guy, definitely from a different year, to block the door with a cocky smile.

The second he tried to put his hand's on Mari's waist, though, he was sent flying backwards into the ground, a sickening _crunch_ marking his head hitting the floor.

He was being pushy. And if there was one thing that made Mari _angry_ , was a guy being pushy. The other 3 males waiting in the corridor picked up their friend in a hurry, not daring to look back at the girl who just _chokeslammed_ someone quite a bit bigger than her.

Turning back to the stunned group she had made herself, it was like the cheery attitude never left.

"So, where do you guys eat lunch, normally?"

* * *

The rest of the school day was _thankfully_ a lot quieter after Makinami's small 'demonstration'. As the two teens made their way home, however, Shinji noticed the girl was quieter than normal.

"Mari? Are you alright? You seem... quiet." At that, the Second Child was broken out of her thoughts, changing her attention to the boy.

"Yeah, just a tad bummed. I wanted to talk to Rei today but with all the commotion didn't have the chance. She seems pretty lonely." Shinji thought for a second before answering.

"I don't know... I've kinda known her for a little while, she doesn't seem the type to have a lot of friends." He mused.

"Well, one more wouldn't hurt, right?" Mari smiled widely, moving so her face was right in front of his. Shinji blushed at the proximity and at her smile. No matter how many times he saw the Brit smiling at him, it always made his heart skip a beat.

Suddenly, Makinami stopped in her tracks, hitting her open palm with the bottom of her other hands's fist. "I know!"

Pointing at her close friend, she asked triumphantly. "Shinji! What sort of food does Rei like?"

Unmeasurably confused at the sudden outburst of the girl, he could only answer bewilderedly. "Uh... I'm not sure? I know she's vegetarian, but..." "Great!" Mari interrupted him. "Initiate Operation Soft Tacos! To the grocery store!" And then she... stood there.

"Uhm.. alright?" the Third Child was still unbelievably confused, which wasn't helped by all the people looking at them like they were a pair of complete lunatics.

He wasn't sure if they were wrong.

"I... don't actually know where the best grocery store is." She admitted sheepishly. "Shinji! Lead the way!" She finally declared, taking his hand happily.

* * *

The next morning, Shinji was surprised when he woke up and Mari was already messing around in the kitchen. Turning around, she gave her favourite boy a tight hug. When she broke the hug, he could see she was excited to put "Operation Soft Tacos" in action... whatever the hell that was.

In the cooking table, he could see the ingredients she had bought the previous day: A soft tortilla-looking thing, tomatoes, carrots, ricota cheese, ricota cream and powdered black pepper.

And then he got turned around and softly pushed towards the bathroom by an excited green eyed Brit. "Now, go and get freshed up. You're going to learn the legendary Makinami family recipe passed down through the generations."

Turning around to look at her when he was past the bathroom door, Shinji asked surprisedly. "Oh... Really?"

"No, I made it up myself. But I'll teach you anyway!" Smiling excitedly, Mari closed the door between them.

* * *

"Ayanami?" the Second Child called warmly, breaking the blue-haired girl out of her habit of staring out of the window. Said girl could see Ikari-kun behind the green eyed girl with an expectant look on his face, although his eyes seemed a bit unfocused.

Normally, Rei didn't really care if someone wanted to talk to her, but Makinami was a fellow pilot, and her voice carried something similar to the young Ikari's, something that made her feel compelled to answer. She was also carrying an extra bento box in her hand, and Rei _was_ quite hungry.

"Yes, Pilot Makinami?" the First Child answered, actually looking at her.

"Well, we haven't talked yet, so I wanted to say Hello properly. It's nice to meet you, Ayanami." the girl greeted, extending one hand. Much to the surprise of everyone, the red-eyed girl actually took the hand offered to her.

Since she had met Shinji, Rei had been thinking more and more about physical contact and how it felt nice with the right people. So she had been making a conscious effort to try, but it was... difficult.

"I... see. It is nice to meet you too, Makinami." Mari could see the girl was sneaking looks at the bento in her other hand, and chuckled lightly, offering it to her.

"It's for you." At that, the Pilot of Unit 00 blinked a few times.

"Shinji and me noticed you never brought one with you, and the cafeteria's vegetarian options frankly suck, so we made you one." She added, smiling warmly.

As the vegetarian in question looked between Shinji and Mari surprisedly (Not to the notice of many, this being Rei) the rest of the group, comprised of the other two stooges and Hikari Horaki, who had taken to seeing the pilot of Unit 02 as something of an idol, arrived but kept a respectful distance, standing behind the girl that had become the unofficial leader of said group.

Looking back to Shinji and nodding, Makinami turned to Rei as she was about to check her new food. "We'd also like if you joined us in the roof for lunch. It'd be nice." At that, Ayanami seemed thoughtful.

"We'll understand if you'd prefer to eat alone, though, don't worry." the Brit added, a hopeful look on her face.

* * *

"It's... delicious." The blue haired girl uttered in surprise, looking at the food in her hand.

Mari smiled widely and gave Shinji a high-five, while the stooges and Hikari looked in curiosity. As the group ate, however, Makinami couldn't help but notice Shinji didn't really seem that interested in the food. Shuffling closer to the boy, she asked.

"You ok, Shinji? I'm sorry if you didn't like them... I could grab you something from the cafeteria if you'd prefer?" She asked apologetically, her cheerful demeanor faltering for the first time in days.

Which was very effective at getting his attention, in no part to the sheer change in her tone. "OH! No, no, Mari, they're delicious!" He answered quickly, fully focused on his friend. "I just have a headache is all, so I'm not really hungry. I'm sorry." He smiled weakly, feeling guilty.

A softer smile returning to her face, the bespectacled girl shook her head. "You don't need to apologize for having a headache, silly puppy-kun. Does it hurt anywhere in particular?" She asked, carefully looking at him from a few angles.

After thinking for a second or so, the boy answered. "Kinda... behind the eyes, spreading deeper in?" he tried to explain, not really sure how. A look of recognition instantly dawned on Mari's face, however.

"You didn't sleep well at all last night, did you?" She asked, gently taking one of his hands. Maybe it was the headache, but Shinji simply held hers back without hesitating.

"Ah... no. I... kept having nightmares about my earlier fights, before the one we had on the Over the Rainbow." He admitted, looking at the half-eaten lunch on his lap.

"I see..." Makinami said, having an idea. She took the bento from his lap, closing it and putting it aside. At the faded dark-blue eyed boy's questioning expression, she leaned back into the wall she was near, extending her legs and patting her lap lightly.

"Lay your head on my lap and rest a bit, Shinji, there's still a fair amount of time before we have to go back to class." She offered, her warm look unwavering. Before the boy could start stuttering in protest, she continued. "It'll help, and I'm worried about you." Extending her hand to usher him to sit closer, Mari looked almost... vulnerable?

"...Trust me?"

That, coupled with her expression, was more than enough to overpower any protest he could muster. Blushing, he scooted closer, uncertainly laying on his side and slowly letting his head rest on the girl's lap.

Leaning forward so her head was in his field of view, she smiled amusedly. "I meant facing me, otherwise there's gonna be too much brightness, you silly bugger." Makinami said affectionately, caressing the top of his head idly.

"...ah. Right. Sorry." Blushing harder, Shinji turned so he was laying with his head on her lap, his nose pretty much rubbing against her shirt.

His embarrassment didn't last long though, as Mari started gently running her fingers through his hair like she had done the day before, something she found was incredibly effective at relaxing the poor boy. Coupled with the faint rose scent that he could feel, it wasn't long before his breathing had evened and he was asleep.

The Second Child signaled to the others with her free hand, asking them to tone the volume of the conversation down. Hikari almost squee'd at the scene, while Toji and Kensuke were torn between envy and happiness for the, obvious even for them, soon-to-be couple. Ayanami looked in a mix of fascination and longing.

As for Mari, she was just relaxing and enjoying the warmth of the boy resting on her lap. She was pretty sure there were some strong feelings for him growing within her, and honestly, she liked it. She liked him. He was kind, attentive, respectful and really, really cute. But even more than that, whenever she was near him the Second Child felt warm inside, as if everything was right with the world.

Hopefully they'd continue to grow closer, she wished, as her right hand gently caressed the back of his hair, her left resting on his back. Mari felt the warmth inside her chest glow and spread as she noticed Shinji was smiling faintly as he slept.

* * *

So, here we are! I gotta say, I was _not_ expecting this story to gain popularity as fast as it did, but I'm extremely glad. I absolutely love a good romance, so I am doing my best to show how theirs is progressing.

Lordban: Honestly, I absolutely suck at fight scenes. They're the hardest part of writing GotBM, but I understand what you've said. I might include references to the Gaghiel fight in later chapters showing more of what actually happened, and will _try_ to not skip them as hard. But in that part, I just had no idea what to write, honestly.

Fyrstorm: Yeah, this was definitely a coupling that grew on me. They just have so much potential for _cute_ that it won me over.

JaceSterne: I love me some good MariSuka myself, but her abrasiveness kinda turns me off sometimes. But to tell the truth? The reason I didn't include her in this story was because she'd end up without Shinji, and that'd make me sad.

Whew, long author's notes this time! I apologize.

As always, if you liked this chapter, please review! It really helps me and motivates me, and I take every single one into account. And if you wish to be notified when a new chapter comes out, be sure to follow the story!

Ciao!


	4. Chapter 4

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a trademark of Hideaki Anno and Studio Gainax. This is purely a fan work.

Edit: Chapter has been fixed, sorry for the error!

* * *

NGE: The Cat and the Puppy Ch. 4

As they left school that day, Shinji was lost in his thoughts (thankfully sans headache now) when he felt a hand brushing up against his. Looking down, he could see Mari with her hand open, asking a silent question while she smiled.

Blushing and smiling back, the Third Child took her hand. Truly, she had made a huge impact in a very short amount of time. While Makinami sometimes felt bad about just how much she embarrassed the young boy, it was having the intended effect of making him more comfortable with physical contact and embarrassing things in general.

'That, and he just looks so godsdamned _cute_ when he blushes and smiles.' She mused, stealing glances at the boy as they walked home, feeling eachother's warmth through their palms.

* * *

Shinji couldn't help but yawn, much to the amusement of the girl with twin-tailed hair sitting at his side. While the nap he had during break was effective at stopping the headache he had gotten (and at making him have a dream about kissing Mari), he still had just not slept enough the previous night, and being stuck with doing homework wasn't helping.

Although, talking and working together with the Second Child to solve the problems was more than worth it. It was these sort of moments that made him forget that humanity was at risk, that he had to fight to the death against Angels, and that his father even existed.

He was with Mari, all was right with the world.

As they finished the small mountain of problems however, Makinami noticed that the dark-haired boy was almost falling asleep while sitting. So, she decided to fix the problem the simplest way she knew.

Shinji didn't have time to protest before she picked him up in a bridal carry and started making her way to his bedroom, gently putting him down in bed.

"Wha?" was all the Third Child could muster after the shock of having the breasts of the girl he was growing very quickly infatuated with all but smushed into his face when he was being carried. Yet, all he got in return was her kind smile. The one he'd only seen Mari give to him, now that he thought about it.

Sure, she smiled a lot, but it was normally an upbeat smile or a mischievous smile. Yet, lately she had been giving him a different one. Less pronounced, more...warm. More special. One that always made him smile back.

"You barely slept, and that 20 minute nap at school isn't enough to fix it. So, what do you say you get some proper sleep now, hmm?" She explained, kneeling down so her head was level with his, resting it on top of her arms on the edge of the bed.

"But... what about-" Shinji yawned, suddenly feeling his eyes even heavier than they were before. Damn the soft bed.

"Dinner, I know." Mari chuckled, caressing his hair gently with one hand. "Silly puppy-kun. You've seen by now I can cook, haven't you? I'll make dinner for you, me and Misato, then wake you up when it's done so you can eat and take a shower. Deal?"

Unable to do more than nod, the young Ikari felt the gentle hand of sleep take him to rest.

* * *

"I'm home..." The tired visage of Misato Katsuragi shambled through the front door, absolutely spent after having to deal with the EU and their incessant whining about the amount of funds NERV was using up. It's like they didn't understand that the agency was everything that was standing between the world and utter annihilation.

The purple haired beauty was brought out of her thoughts when she smelled something delicious cooking, however. Making her way to the kitchen, she was surprised when she saw Mari with an apron over her 'home' clothing, playing a portable game system while something was being made in a pressure cooker she was sure didn't exist in the apartment before today.

"Oh! Hi Misa-chan, welcome home! Sorry, I didn't hear you because of the pressure cooker. How was your day?" The Second Child apologized, getting up and giving her guardian a warm hug. She really did enjoy living with Misato so far, for as much as Kaji was an older brother, the Major was a mix of older sister and mother to her, and Makinami missed her horribly these last few years.

"Hey Mari, was pretty tiring..." Looking around as she returned the hug, NERV's commander of operations couldn't help but notice the lack of a certain shy boy.

Raising one eyebrow, Misato asked in a mischievous tone. "Mari Makinami, what have you done to Shinji?"

Looking away in mock innocence, she sing-songed. "Nothing... yet~~" Heading to the pressure cooker to check on dinner, she continued in a more concerned tone. "Puppy-kun barely slept last night because of nightmares, so I put him to bed after we did our homework. Gonna wake him up once dinner is ready so he can eat and take a bath."

With a honest smile, Misato went to get her beer. "Thanks for helping out with Shinji, Mari. He's been a lot happier since you've arrived. Probably something to do with how you're completely smitten with him." the woman teased, trying to open the cooker to take a look herself (the smell was driving her crazy with curiosity), only to have her hand batted away by Makinami's.

"Well, guilty as charged." She shrugged, grinning. No use hiding it, and it was definitely not her style. "I mean, come on. He's kind, he's brave when push comes to shove, he's attentive, and he's cute. Tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't be all over him if the Third was your age." The teenager teased right back.

Pouting, Katsuragi looked away, defeated.

"...point. Damnit."

* * *

The teenage group rested in the rooftop of the school's main building after lunch. It was a nice place that normally only was frequented by them. Today, it was no different.

As Mari saw Shinji finishing his meal, however, she had an idea. Scooting closer, she asked.

"Hey Shinji, want me to show you something?" Where he expected mischievousness, the Pilot of Unit 01 heard honest expectation.

"Uhm... sure?" He complied, knowing that whatever was going to happen, would be entertaining at the least. From the last few days, he learned that life with Mari was never, ever dull.

"Alright, first, lean back into the wall. Now, just let your legs relax extended a bit wide." Mari ordered as the boy was followed, completely confused.

Confusion gave way to surprise as she quickly scooted and sat between his legs, leaning back into the furiously blushing teen, gently taking his arms and placing them in a hug around her body.

Looking back at the extremely embarrassed boy, she gave one of her catlike grins. "So, whaddya think? I've always wanted to relax like this with someone important to me."

As she nuzzled back and got comfortable into the embrace, Shinji got the faint scent of her rose perfume, the warmth of her back against his body, the feeling of her body between his arms and her own hands over his. But most of all, one thing echoed in his mind.

'someone important to me.'

He was pretty sure this was a dream, but he'd give his life so it wouldn't end.

"You're important to me too, Mari." The Third Child whispered back, gently nuzzling into the side of her neck and unconsciously hugging her a bit tighter.

For the first time in quite a while, Mari Illustrious Makinami blushed. Not an embarrassment blush, but an emotional blush. His words, his tighter hug, _his breath on her neck_ made her heart-rate skyrocket. The boy she wanted to be with and make happy just reciprocated her feelings in an open way. With a content smile, she all but purred when the warm air passed by her neck again.

"I'm glad..."

* * *

"Pilot Mari, are you and Pilot Shinji in a romantic relationship?" The bluenette asked the duo as the students made their way out of the school. Why she had agreed to using their first names after Mari asked saying that 'it was only natural now that she'd eaten both of their cooking' was still something that puzzled Ayanami. The question she'd asked, however, made the pilot of Unit 01 almost trip over himself and the former break out in giggles.

Rei noticed that the entire time, their hands were still linked.

"I dunno, are we Shinji?" Makinami asked. While her smile appeared normal, for a second the boy could see a crack in it.

She was scared what he'd say.

"I... I guess we are... yeah..." He smiled back tentatively, his heart nearly bursting at saying these words. He could scarcely believe them himself. Shinji Ikari, the cowardly, weak, unremarkable idiot... in a relationship with Mari Makinami, the amazing, friendly, beautiful, upbeat elite pilot. If Toji was nearby he'd ask him for a punch to check if he was awake.

"So, there you have it, we are in a relationship." Mari grinned, properly taking his arm with hers. She did notice the boy was shaking pretty hard.

"...I see. While you both have shown explicit displays of affection towards one another, neither of you mentioned it, so I was unsure. Thank you for clarifying it." At that, Rei Ayanami left... towards the direction of one very soon to be surprised Kensuke Aida.

* * *

The rest of the day, there was only one thing on poor Shiji Ikari's mind:

Mari Makinami.

Afternoon and dinner passed by without much thought beyond him being in a dazed state, stealing looks at her whenever he could, and her smiling back at him when she noticed it. It didn't really become a problem until he tried to sleep.

Keyword here being 'tried'.

No matter what, he couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he could feel her warmth. Her scent. Her touch. Even hear her voice. His heart was a maelstrom of emotions, and one he was woefully unprepared to deal with. Deciding to give up for now and at least get a cup of water, the Third Child got a surprise when he opened his bedroom door... to reveal a nightgown-clad, glass-less Mari with free flowing hair standing right there.

"Can't sleep either, hmm?" She asked amusedly, handing the boy a cup of water matching the one she already had to herself. Or rather, trying to, as said boy was completely unresponsive after seeing her.

"Mari to Puppy-kun, anyone home?" Makinami sing-songed as she waved her hand in front of Shinji's face, successfully bringing him out of his daze.

If anyone asked, the young Ikari would later say that he was entirely within his rights, given that he'd just seen the most beautiful... _anything_... in his entire life.

"Ah!... Sorry, sorry... I just..." However, not being able to find courage to say what had left him speechless, he decided to drink the entire cup of water as quickly as he could instead, if only to stop his heart from setting fire to itself from how fast it was beating.

Deciding to save the poor boy further difficulty, Mari changed matters. "Nightmares again?" Her face and tone of voice clearly let her concern be known. Simply saying someone is important to you is not as important as showing it.

"Uhh, no... I was..." 'Don't run away. Don't run away. _Don't run away.'_ Tightening his fists so hard that he'd swear his nails cut into his flesh, Shinji Ikari gathered all the courage he possibly could to try and _take charge of his life, even if just this once._

"I... I was thinking about you. About us." At that, the Second Child raised an eyebrow. She was _not_ expecting him to say that.

"I... every time I close my eyes all I can think of is you. Every day since we met has been better than any other time in my life. You... I just...Mari I... I..." His eyes were closed, but tears were making their way out regardless. He was scared. Scared that it was all a joke, scared that she didn't really mean it, scared that when she saw the real, awful Shinji, she'd leave him just like his father did. He couldn't take that. He couldn't live without this happiness anymore.

He couldn't live without her anymore.

But he knew there was no hope. So he waited. He waited for the harsh words, the calling him a pervert, maybe just her walking away.

He didn't expect to feel warm lips touching his, or slender arms pulling him into a hug, or soft hands caressing his hair. Yet, that's what happened. With a choked mewl, the Third Child desperately kissed back, hugging her tight. She accepted him. She kissed him.

Breaking the kiss for a second, Mari continued to caress the back of his head into their hug, looking straight into his eyes.

"I know, silly puppy-kun. I love you too."

Kissing the boy again, she gently placed her tongue on his lips, asking. Offering. When he reciprocated, the Second Child very much purred as she caressed his tongue with hers, losing herself in his taste, his smell, his tight embrace.

His love.

* * *

There we go, peeps! I'm sorry about how long it took to put this chapter out. While this fanfic is easi _er_ for me to write than GotBM, this was an extremely important point in the story and I redid it in my head many times.

This story may very well continue (hell, it was supposed to be a _one shot_ ), and honestly, it likely will. Updates may take a few days between each chapter, since I'm trying to balance a lot of things at the same time. But the ShinjiMari ship shall sail on!

7thManiac: I just might take you up on your offer, and am glad you're enjoying it so far!

As always, if you can, please review! It really cheers me up and lets me know your opinions about the story and things I can improve, no matter how simple they are. And if you wish to be notified when a new chapter comes up, you can always follow it!

Ciao!


	5. Chapter 5

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a property of Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara.

This is a non-profit work of fiction.

* * *

NGE: The Cat and the Puppy Ch. 5

3 Cellphones rang in unison across the darkened Katsuragi apartment, showing that life, indeed, had a way of screwing with all good things.

That's not to say it still didn't take several seconds until both Pilots were able to come down from cloud 9, currently located near Shinji's door frame, roughly in the middle of all the kissing the teens were engaged in.

* * *

Katsuragi's legendary driving delivered them to HQ within a few minutes, the Major deciding to leave the questions about why they were both awake and disheveled in the middle of the night to after they killed whatever Eldritch Abomination was bothering the city this time.

As they made their way to the locker rooms, Misato laid down the intel they had so far.

"Our sensors managed to pick up this Angel still underwater, with it's current speed it'll make landfall in 10 minutes. We'll be deploying you two to the beach near Kii peninsula. This way we'll avoid damage to the city. I'll relay the battle strategy while you are en route."

The Second and Third child nodded, but before they could actually get into the lockers, Katsuragi stopped them.

"Be careful out there. You both have something to live for."

With a wink, NERV's Operations Director set down on a run to the command center.

As the two children chosen by fate made their way into the Eva cages, Mari took Shinji's hand in hers, stopping for a second.

And pulling him into a brief but deep kiss, broken only to tell the apprehensive boy one thing:

"We can do this, Puppy-kun. Together."

* * *

"Godsdamnit, they keep healing each other! That's cheating! And how does that even work!?" Makinami huffed, dodging another one of the dual angel's attacks as Shinji did the same. Their Evas were a bit scraped and battered, but still fully functional. Their umbilical cords, however, didn't have the same luck.

Their purple haired guardian looked at the status displays with a grim look. They only had 90 seconds left of power each on the internal batteries. Worse, since they were deployed so far from the city, there were no backup power connections. Misato Katsuragi realized she had made a _bad decision_. Any self-loathing would need to be delayed until later, however.

"Listen up, you two. It seems the only way to keep it down would be to destroy both cores at the same time. We don't have much time anymore. Think you can do it?"The Operations Director asked, ready to give the order to retreat if things went any more south.

"...yeah. I got an idea. We got this." Closing the channel to HQ, the brunette opened a secure one to the entry plug of Unit 01.

"Hey, Shinji. I'm going to knock down the orange one. When I do, keep it down while I deal with the brown one, and on my mark we smash their cores, alright?" The bespectacled girl asked her new boyfriend, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"What? But Mari, they're strong! How are you going to knock them down like that?" The Third Child asked, adrenaline rushing as he dodged one more attack.

"Well, Puppy-kun... a girl has got to have her secrets, you know... Invert Mode! Secret code: The Beast!"

The pilot of Unit 01 couldn't help but be astounded, and somewhat scared of what he was seeing. His girlfriend's Eva, normally regal and refined in appearance, ejected it's shoulder pylons, elongated his limbs, forming the digits into claws, it's back plate destroyed as green rods were pushed out of the war machine's very flesh.

Until, with a soul-shaking roar, the bindings around it's mouth failed, and it's eyes glowed with murderous intent.

The young Ikari was speechless. He knew Mari was an elite pilot, but that she could do something like _that_ with her Eva was beyond his wildest imagination. Unfortunately, said imagination now left him an open target to the Orange version of the Angel, which had stopped trying to reach Unit-02 mid-transformation after seeing it's other self be launched backwards by the beast's AT-Field, and decided to go after the easier target instead.

By the time Shinji Ikari noticed, he was too late to dodge. What he hadn't realized, however, was that Unit-02 had _moved_.

Before Israfel could connect with it's claws, however, a red blur smacked the Angel into the ground, the sheer impact nearly rocking the purple Unit off it's feet. All the Third Child heard was a sickening crunch followed by a roar, and the red blur was off again in the direction of the second half of the Angel. At Unit-01's feet, the orange half of The Burning One was mangled, barely able to move.

By this time, Mari had already ripped the face plate of the brown half off using the bestial Eva's jaws, opening a comm channel to her partner, her glowing green irises easily noticeable even through the corruption in the signal coming from her end.

"Ready Shinji?" Her voice came through, distorted. Frighteningly, Unit-01's Pilot couldn't figure out if the distortion was from the call or _from her own voice_. Shaking himself back to the task at hand however, the dark haired boy shakily answered in the positive, tightening his grip on his Progressive Knife Mk.2.

And so, on Makinami's count of one, both Evas sank their weapons into the cores of the Angel halves, Unit-01's new armament penetrating the core and then releasing an explosive charge inside, shattering it immediately. At the same time, the Second Child willed her Unit to use it's own arm as a lance, piercing and crushing the core of the weakened, twitching form in front of her so far as to have the arm of the Eva embedded up to it's elbow in the unfortunate creature.

Seeing both halves going limp, cheering erupted in the control center, both pilots finally able to rest with few seconds on their internal batteries.

Which is when the Angel exploded.

* * *

Thirst.

That's the first thing the Third Child could think about. He felt _horribly_ thirsty. His mouth felt like a mix of cotton and sand.

Bright.

The ceiling was white and bright. Ah. Hospital. In the back of his mind, he makes a note about maybe just leaving some of his clothes here always. Not like the first time he's been here.

" _-send a recovery team immediately! Give priority to the Second Child!"_

It's hard to think. All he remembers is pain, and then voices over the comm channel.

" _What do you mean Unit-02 locked it's entry plug inside!? We need to get her to intensive care right now!"_

Second Child... Mari...

 **Mari.**

"Mari!", Shinji manages to shout as he jolts upright in the hospital bed, descending into a coughing fit right afterwards. His throat _was_ horribly dry.

"Hey hey, easy there kiddo. Here, have some water." Misato cooed, offering the frantic teenager a cup of water. After trying to ask something and only managing more coughs, the young Ikari hurriedly drank it.

"There you go. The angel you two killed blew up. The blast knocked both of you unconscious for days. In fact, Mari woke up yesterday. Don't worry, you're both in one piece." the purple haired woman explained, seeing her ward's panicked expression lessen slightly at those news.

Taking a deep breath, the Third Child could _feel_ (and hear, thanks to all the monitor he was hooked up to), his heartbeat go down to more normal levels. Everything was alright. They were both ok.

It was then that Ritsuko entered, having been notified of the massive spike in heart rate on her tablet.

"Ah, I see you're awake, Shinji. How are you feeling? Any headache? The concussion from the blast was pretty severe." The faux blonde asked, going straight to the point as always.

"Ah... yeah... I don't think my head hurts... my body feels stiff though.. how's Mari? Can I see her?"

At seeing how the head of Project E almost flinched at the sound of the girl's name, however, he knew _something_ was wrong.

"About the Second Child... what do you remember about the end of the battle, Shinji?" The doctor asked, trying gauge what he knew and work from there.

"I... I remember Mari making her Eva go crazy powerful, we killed the Angel... and then I guess it... exploded?" The boy winced, trying to piece the memories together.

"Correct. Pilot Makinami used a hidden mode in her Evangelion called 'Beast Mode'. We did not know she was aware of it, let alone knew how to use it, but evidently she did. It's basically when an Eva is configured entirely for attack, sacrificing it's defensive capabilities for enhanced strength and speed. The Second Child utilized it to impressive results."

The woman explained, careful to not dive too deep into technicalities.

Shinji visibly thought for a moment, his eyes widening as he realized something.

"Wait, you said sacrificing it's defensive capabilities? But... the Angel exploded! What happened to her!?"

The boy was starting to get anxious again. _Something was very wrong_.

"... It's best if you see it. Makinami also asked me to bring you to her when you woke up. I believe she wants to explain the rest of it personally." With that, Misato helped the young Pilot stand up from the bed, and the trio headed to her room.

The blinds covered the window from Mari's room to the corridor, which meant the dark-haired boy couldn't see inside. Before he opened the door, his guardian pulled him close for a second.

"...be kind with her. She's... still recovering, in a way."

With those words reverberating in his soul, he finally opened the door. He finally saw the girl he loved again.

She looked _heartbroken._ Her right eye was covered with a medical eye-patch, the bed covers were pulled up to her chin on her right side, but he could see her free eye was puffy. She'd been crying. It was like the sun that she had inside her had been put out.

When she looked at him, something inside the young Ikari _sunk_. He had never, in his entire life, felt his heart so tight. That defeated, bittersweet smile was very nearly enough to make him cry.

"Hey... Shinji. I'm... glad you're okay... I was worried..."

On her part, a few tears did make their way down her cheeks. But hearing her hollow, broken voice still trying to appear cheerful was the last drop for the boy. Without hesitation, he ran towards her bed, shouting her name... only to hit a literal wall just before he got there.

An invisible one, to the sound of ringing glass.

As he pushed his hand against the unyielding surface, his mind racing, he could hear a faint, hollow laughter turning into sobs.

"AT-Field...I guess... I might as well be renamed to Mariel now."

"...what...?" Was all he could muster, his brain reeling from what she just said.

Managing to recompose herself, or as much as she could, Mari moved to a sitting position, hugging her knees, her eye looking far off into a distance that wasn't there.

"From what they told me... " she began, her faint voice audible thanks to the sheer silence in the room.

"When the Angel halves exploded, your Eva managed to absorb most of the blast on it's AT-Field. But since I was in Beast Mode, mine... didn't. The blast severed my Eva's right arm and destroyed it's two right eyes. Thing is... at the moment, I was at 117% sync rate."

At that, Shinji's eyes widened as he realized the implications of what she said.

"So, my own right arm and eye were gone because of that. Thing is... besides the sync rate, Beast Mode involves diving the Entry Plug as deep as it'll go... way into the range where contamination between Eva and Pilot is possible. So..."

As she said that, Makinami removed the bed sheet that was still covering her right side, showing Shinji a pale, clawed right arm with red streaks. And then she took the eye-patch off, showing him her right eye. A bright red iris, surrounded by a dark sclera.

"This is me. Your girlfriend is a monster now. Disgusting, isn't it?" She whispered to no direction in particular, looking at her right arm.

"No. You're not."

When the Second Child heard Shinji's words, she turned her head to look at him properly.

He was standing there, looking at her. His hands on her AT-Field. Not pushing, but asking. His face set on a determination she had never, ever seen on him, whether in or out of combat.

"You're the furthest thing from Disgusting in this whole world. I don't care if you're part Angel or part Eva now! I don't care if you can throw up an AT-Field! I wouldn't care if you became _entirely_ an Angel! _I love you! I love you, Mari Illustrious Makinami... You're still you..._ You accepted and loved me for who I was. I'll always accept you and love you for who you are, _no matter what happens! Please let me show you that..._ "

As her tears fell once more, this time from both eyes, Shinji could feel the invisible wall in front of him giving way, until it was no more.

As the two pilots hugged tight, the brit half-sobbed, half-chuckled as she nuzzled into her boyfriend.

"The worst part is, I know you actually mean all that... How can I possibly say no to you..?

...Idiot Shinji..."

* * *

And I actually managed to make a next chapter to this story! The tone shifted a bit, but it's the only way I could see the story going. Hopefully I haven't disappointed you all. I have some ideas where this'll go in the future, so there will be future chapters.

I hope everyone enjoys it!

Ciao!


	6. Chapter 6

This is purely a fanmade work of entertainment. All rights are reserved by their respective creators.

* * *

As she watched the poor girl fall back into sleep, Third Child at her side like a hound, Ritsuko Akagi, lead of project E, sighed. Her final report on the situation was overdue, and she had to deliver it, holes and everything.

"Misato? I'll leave the two to you for now. I have to report to the Commander." she whispered to her friend, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"Alright Rits." Holding the bottle blonde by her hand for a second, NERV's operations director sent a questioning last look. "You're sure it's alright for them to be near each other, right?"

"Yes. We've ran thorough tests, neither Mari nor Shinji are in danger from direct contact. Rather... I think, right now, that will only do good." The doctor mentioned, giving one last look to her patients.

* * *

The darkened office was as ominous as always. Project E's lead scientist couldn't say she had anything but bad memories of this place.

"So, Doctor? How is she still alive?" The calculating voice echoed through the emptiness, as if coming from the void itself.

"The best clue we currently have, Sir, is genetic modification. It's the only thing I managed to catch in any of the tests I've ran, and I've ran all of them. Her DNA is the only thing that wasn't natural. Unfortunately, NERV-Britain is being... difficult, about answering any of my questions. But I can say with a decent amount of certainty that the modifications are based off our own Ayanami project."

"Hmm." To anyone else, the response from the commander of NERV would be noncommittal. To those who worked with him, however, it meant he was _not happy_.

"But why?" The much more level voice of NERV's aging sub-commander joined the conversation.

"Why alter their own pilot so her body wouldn't reject angelic matter? Was it just a fail-safe in a worst case scenario, or did they have something else planned?"

"Irrelevant. All that matters is that she and Unit 02 are still usable. Doctor?" His tone was absolute. The Second Child and her Eva were disposable tools, and nothing more.

"While normally I'd recommend her being taken off the active pilot roster, luckily her relationship with the Third Child seems to be enough to keep her ...usable – she felt herself flinch at using that word. All it did was remind Akagi that she was no different - for the foreseeable future, if given some time to recover mentally."

Shuffling the papers in her hand, she continued, glad to be done with that matter. "As for the repair estimates for Unit 02..."

* * *

Mari faintly smiled back at the Third Child as he gave her right hand a reassuring squeeze while they waited until the elevator finally came to a rest at the floor of the Katsuragi Residence. So far, it felt the only thing holding her onto reality was the boy. Everything else just felt like a horrible nightmare.

As the trio walked inside and Shinji set in motion to start cooking, given both he and his girlfriend had just about enough hospital food even if they just that for a day, the young brit sat at the table, getting into her newfound hobby as of the last day: contemplating.

What bothered her the most is that the angelic limb and eye felt... exactly the same as her normal one. No pain, no discomfort, nothing. It's as if nothing had happened. Yet, a cursory look obviously betrayed their inhuman origin.

Which is when Mari was brought out of her internal struggle by a certain boy leaning down and hugging her warmly.

"Dinner should be ready soon, just needs to finish cooking. How are you feeling?" Shinji asked softly, pulling a chair and sitting as close to her as possible.

Makinami couldn't help but smile. Here she was, a freak of nature thanks to her carelessness in battle, yet the kind puppy was treating her no different than normal.

Actually, that was a lie. Since he saw her in that bed crying, it was like a dam had broken inside the boy, and he became more outwardly affectionate, much more than before. If the recently-made Nephilim had to say, he even started showing to be very dependable. She wasn't sure if it was the shock of seeing her cry, or the realization that they could indeed lose their lives at any moment, but she wasn't going to question it.

Right now, she was just glad to have Shinji by her side. Shy or affectionate, stuttering or dependable, just being near him gave her hope to be able to continue existing.

She damn better show it, her brain pitched in, as she moved over, sitting on Shinji's lap and wrapping him into a tight hug, as she nuzzled into him.

And making the boy blush to heavens and back even as he smiled and hugged her back just as tightly, which she had to admit felt... nice. It showed her that he did still see her as... a human. A girl. _His_ girl. She needed that right now.

She didn't _necessarily_ need to feel something poking her inner thigh, but seeing him as red as a tomato when she looked at him and slyly nodded down, making him realize the... situation, did make her feel good as well. Puppy-kun _really did_ see her no differently than before.

Little after she started kissing him, however, Misato came out of her bedroom, being done changing clothes. Clearing her throat, she expected the pair of lovebirds to stop making out and giver her attention.

They didn't.

Any normal day, she'd chastise the two, but right now... they deserved it. And as such, she walked past to her favorite spot in the living room sofa, beer in hand and Pen Pen not far behind.

That didn't mean she wasn't going to tease them, however.

"You know, you lot have _two_ bedrooms. _Two._ And you decided to make babies in the kitchen. I'll never understand you kids."

Which, much to her amusement, _was_ enough to break Shinji out of the trance he was in, him getting up from the chair, but keeping his hand linked with Mari.

"Wha-wai-we're not- I mean- _MISATO!_ " The young boy finally managed to exclaim between stutters, his free hand a blur of movements as his brain tried to figure out what to do. For her part, the Second Child simply hugged her boyfriend from behind, but her guardian could spot that for a second, her angelic eye, normally a vibrant red, dimmed.

Before Katsuragi could try to understand what that meant, though, Shinji had finally taken control of his higher mental faculties back.

"We were just hugging and kissing, Misato, we- there's no way we'd do something like that!" He protested, the back of his mind reminding him that the food should be done by now. Hold on, _how long did they make out for?_

"Oh really?" Misato continued, having found a chink in his armor. "I suppose that your friend down there is ready and raring as a coincidence, then?" She smiled slyly, knowing the incoming outburst was going to be glorious.

"Wait what do you..." And then the Third Child looked down, and saw that a certain region of his apron was... most certainly not flush against his body. And according to NERV's commander of operations guess, the poor boy just about died of shame inbetween stutters. In a last effort to retain some of his honor, Shinji Ikari looked over his shoulder, to beg for the help of his girlfriend.

One Mari Illustrious Makinami that was currently smiling back at him and Misato with a mix of mischievousness and pride.

The young Ikari sighed. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

* * *

Katsuragi shuffled in bed once again towards her clock. '1:47am'. With a heavy sigh, she turned around again.

Sleep was not something easy to come by since the last angel fight. NERV's operations commander wasn't even sure what to beat herself up over more; the fact that an Eva could do _that_ in battle, that it could effectively _merge_ with a pilot, that it happened with _Mari_ , who was the closest thing she had to a daughter...

Or the fact that the whole reason it happened in the first place was because of _her own_ misjudgment. It was _her_ fault that the girl had to use that abomination of a form in the first place, and the consequences that came with it.

Rubbing her own temples wearily, of one thing Misato was sure, however. She would make it up for the Second Child even if it took her own life to do so.

The Major was broken out of her resolution by the soft sound of footsteps going across her door, however.

* * *

Shinji watched as his bedroom door slowly opened, a slightly ragged-looking Mari on the other side.

"Puppy-kun? You're awake too?" She whispered, the darkness inside not really being as much of a problem to her sight as it would normally be.

Sitting up on his bed, the Third Child motioned for her to come in. "Yeah... beating myself up a bit over being so weak you had to use that Beast Mode. I just... if only I was better, you wouldn't..."

Gently flicking the overthinking boy in the forehead, the Brit Nephilim sat at his side in bed, leaning into her boyfriend.

"Not really, Puppy-kun. It was mostly my fault. I didn't strictly _have_ to activate it, and I got a bit... overeager, once I did. Guess I was just excited to finally try it out for real. You did your best in that fight, don't worry about it. Besides, no sense throwing blame around, what is done is done and I'm alive. That's all that really matters in the end. Hell, I'm reasonably sure I _wouldn't_ be alive had Unit 02 not done.. this. _"_

At that, much to a certain boyfriend's surprise, Mari started making stereotypical ghost noises and her best interpretation of a scary face with her new eye's reddish hue visible even in the dark, both hands raised in 'scary' claws.

"Woooo, I am Mariel, kneel beneath me you puny Lilim, for I have come to reap your souls, woooo~~"

Which was as far as she could get before both teenagers broke into giggles, Makinami hugging Shinji and pulling him down into a spooning position in the bed, using herself as the bigger part since she was taller.

Sighing contently, the girl wrapped her new arm around the raven-haired boy, taking a deep breath, feeling his familiar scent relax her. For his part, said boy covered her arm with his own, gently caressing her thumbs and nuzzling back into his girlfriend. And then something odd hit him.

"Mari, what did you mean by Lilim?" He whispered, although the warmth of the girl currently spooning him was making sleep a steadily more seductive proposition.

"Hmmm? Lilim? I said Humans." The teenager mumbled back, already having agreed with her brain that sleeping was a very good idea right now.

"...huh." however, any further thought was cutoff by Shinji's yawn, his brain telling him that he was heading to sleepville, population pilots.

* * *

"...are you two sure about this? I can easily get the school to back off for however long it takes." The purple haired guardian of both teenagers currently gathering their belongings for said school asked. The Major was honestly not surprised when she noticed they had slept together, although she did use that opportunity to tease them further, mentioning 'she didn't think they'd take her advice about doing it in a bedroom so fast'.

Mari stretched in a lazy yawn, her school uniform doing nothing to cover her new limb and eye while Shinji finished arranging their bentos.

"It is what it is, Misa-chan. It's not like I can hide forever, so I want to get the first time over and done with. Running away won't help with me getting used to it." The young pilot answered, giving her boyfriend a surprise hug.

"Besides, I have Shinji with me. If anyone starts talking shit, he'll protect me, right?" At that, the Third Child looked over his shoulder to Mari and Misato.

"No way I'll let anyone start anything, Misato-san. Mari is important to me."

While it certainly was a welcome change, Katsuragi couldn't really say she was used to the boy being so... assertive yet. Raising an eyebrow, she decided to use it for, what would you know, teasing.

"Well, while I can't say I'm not surprised the incident made you find your spine, I'm happy to hear it, Shinji. Wear that shining knight mantle with pride, kid."

As she moved in to ruffle his hair, said 'shining knight' was blushing and protesting his new nickname while Mari giggled. And then she felt something, a presence, approaching the apartment door. A feeling similar to how people passively echo-locate and 'sense' when someone else is near, but... much clearer.

Leaving the two other residents to their shenanigans, the Second Child moved to open the door as she felt the presence just on the other side...

To a fairly confused Rei Ayanami who, in the absence of the door that was there the second before, ended up knocking on Makinami's forehead instead.

* * *

Here we go, peeps! Another chapter! I worked hard in this one trying to have a good mix of drama and WAFF, especially given the last chapter. While the drama is certainly not over, I don't want it to overtake what this story is meant to be. I hope you all enjoy it, and feel free to give feedback, I read and take to heart all of it!

Ciao!


	7. Chapter 7

This is a work of fiction. All rights reserved by Gainax, Studio Khara and Hideaki Anno.

* * *

 _'There is a house built out of stone.'_

* * *

The walk to school was uneventful. Or rather, that was what the Second Child wanted to say.

In truth, as much as Makinami tried to, the brunette couldn't help but notice the stares. An uncomfortable look here, a whisper there. She was pretty sure she saw a little kid start crying. Taking a deep breath, the warm hand of her boyfriend on hers was a very welcome soothing device.

"I apologize." Said the gentle but present voice of the full-blooded Nephilim who flanked her other side. Broken out of her daze, the bespectacled girl turned to the uncommon addition to their morning route.

"Because of my duties with the Commander, I was not able to visit Pilot Mari in the hospital. I feel... displeased about that."

Since befriending the First Child, Mari was steadily getting better at reading her expressions, and she could see that Rei's apology was heartfelt.

Letting out a full smile that was rarer in her face these days, the Second ruffled Ayanami's hair, the blue strands easily taking to their new configuration. "It's alright Rei. Knowing you wanted to is more than enough. Thank you for walking to school with us today."

Looking over to the Third Child, Mari could see Shinji was smiling as well, even if his hand seemed to shake a bit while he assured the First that the meaning is what mattered.

* * *

 _'Wooden floors, walls and window sills.'_

* * *

"Well would you look at that, seems like miss perfect's gone all freaky!" The stringent voice sounded behind the group of friends as they were heading for the roof. Makinami sighed as she felt Shinji go rigid at her side.

Besides Hikari and the other two stooges who seemed very concerned for her well-being when she walked in this morning, all other students had managed to respectfully keep to themselves, at least when around her.

So far.

"Keiko, leave her alone. I don't feel good about this." The older student who had a similar look to the girl asked, to no avail as the student was already marching towards the Pilots.

"The hell, Takerou!? She makes you look like a bitch in front of the entire school and you're fine with it? Well I'm not! You can stay there with your tail between your legs but I have some choice words for that slut!" As she marched towards Mari, the rest of the students parted like the sea.

The Brit merely stood her ground. From the looks of it, this girl was the younger sister of the guy she had the disagreement with a few weeks ago. Felt like a lifetime ago, given everything that happened. But she didn't expect someone to hold a grudge for this long, long enough until she's vulnerable.

Before the new Nephilim could do anything, however, a very nervous Third Child was already moving to meet the would-be-assailant head on.

"S-Stop that! The guy was almost groping her, what's your prob-" The raven haired boy was cut off by being roughly shoved aside by the girl, although thanks to the combat training he'd been receiving, his footing wasn't lost.

"Screw off, Ikari! I don't care if she's spreading her legs for you, I'm teaching little Frankenstein's bitch a lesson today!"

Her words were all it took for Shinji to not see anything else, though. He could feel his body shaking, his breathing quick and shallow as his nails dig into his palms. From the side, Mari felt her boyfriend might do something he'd regret. Before she could move in to cool him down, however, a yelp of pain brought them both to a standstill.

"Do you have a family here other than your brother, Student Keiko?" A quiet but cold voice rung through the corridor, it's owner, a blue-haired pale girl currently tightening her grip on the delinquent's wrist.

"What? Ouch ouch ouch-let me go." The other girl was trying to use her free hand to break Ayanami's grasp, to no avail.

"The only reason you, your brother, your family, or any of your friends are alive today is because Pilot Mari is willingly putting herself in danger to protect you. So am I, and so is Pilot Shinji. I will not allow you to use the Second Child's wounded state as an opportunity to attack her."

As Rei's voice cut through the damp morning air, the young Ikari felt all his rage ebb away, substituted by uneasiness at seeing the normally placid friend he came to know, wear an expression that was eerily reminiscent of his father. While the half-british, half-japanese girl he came to love carefully walked over to his side, the blue haired Nephilim continued.

"Your brother has recovered from Pilot Mari's refusal long ago.. I suggest you think about my words, and let this matter drop."

Keiko let out one last gasp as she felt the pressure assaulting her wrist ease up, the one responsible returning to her friends as they started heading for the roof... when Shinji's body was only stopped from hitting the ground all of a sudden by Makinami catching it.

"Wait, Shinji? Shinji! What happened!?" Said boy would answer, if he wasn't out cold. Closing her cellphone, Rei Kneeled down besides the duo.

"Section 2's helicopter will be here soon."

* * *

 _'Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust.'_

* * *

"And that was when he passed out?" The professional voice of one Doctor Ritsuko Akagi asked, standing besides the bed that the unconscious Third Child rested on.

"It was, we brought him here as soon as we could, what happened? Is Shinji alright?" The pilot of Evangelion Unit 02 asked, her angelic eye and streaks in her new arm both softly emitting a red glow, a mirror to her current mental state.

"His vitals are fine now, he's merely resting. But when you brought him in, his blood pressure was very high. On top of that, it seems the levels of cortisol in his blood are much higher than normal. These are both signs of extreme, prolonged stress, Mari. Did you notice any.. significant changes in Shinji's behavior since you were both released from the hospital?"

Her brain quickly connecting the dots, the young woman sat back on the chair she had placed besides her boyfriend's bed.

"Actually... yeah... yeah there were." Taking a deep breath, Makinami started to list Shinji's oddly forward and active behavior as of late, with Misato arriving in the room halfway through.

"I see... while Shinji wanting to be more dependable is certainly not bad, forcing himself to that degree right after a harsh emotional event is about the worst way he could have gone about it. He will be alright with some rest, but you'll both have to talk with him about this." Ritsuko made a point to look in the eyes of both the other conscious occupants of the room.

"I'm sorry for all of this... I shouldn't have just handwaved it as you finding a spine. With all that happened lately I didn't know how to react to it. I'm sorry Shinji..." The purple haired guardian of both teenagers in the room whispered mostly to herself, gently brushing a stray strand of hair from her male ward's face.

"It's not solely your fault, Misa. I was clinging to Shinji too much to actually think about it twice either. So!" Patting her thighs to remove imaginary dust, Mari Illustrious Makinami enveloped the closest thing she ever had to a mother in a hug, looking up at her.

"When he wakes up, we'll all have a talk about it. None of 'it was my fault' 'no, it was mine', just a talk, alright? Then we will go home, and have a warm dinner." Misato Katsuragi wasn't really sure what to say to the girl currently hugging her, so she settled for hugging her back.

"I know how harsh you are on yourself. But Shinji is still hanging on even with everything that's happened, and I turned out okay, didn't I? You're a better parent than you  
give yourself credit for...

Alright, kaa-san?"

That was when the Second Child found herself being hugged much tighter, causing Misato's face to disappear behind her shoulder.

"You play so not fair, Mari." The voice of the older woman wavered as the words came out.

"Hey, anything less wouldn't get through your thick head." To Makinami's credit, she heard something between a chuckle and a small sob.

"Heh... fair point... Thank you." Slowly breaking the hug, Katsuragi took the time to still hold the Pilot of Unit 02's hands while looking at her, as if to make sure she wasn't going to disappear. Which is when the brit's cellphone vibrated in her pocket. Turning to the not originally blonde doctor, she questioned.

"Doctor Akagi, Shinji will likely still sleep for at least an hour, right?" Surprised at the sudden question after having witnessed the touching moment, Ritsuko took a second to collect her thoughts. "Yes, probably at least two more."

"Alright then." Giving her guardian one last hand squeeze, the brunette double checked the message on her phone. "Misa-chan, can you look after him for a little bit?" As she made her way to the door, said guardian couldn't help but ask. "Where are you going, Mari?"

Smiling only to herself, the pilot stopped halfway out of the room.

"It's a surprise."

* * *

 _'This is a place where I don't feel alone.'_

* * *

She smiled gently as the presence tingled on the back of her mind, her angelic hand slowly brushing the cracked pink paint, bits of red visible underneath. The warmth enveloped her even by just being near Unit-02 now.

"Thank you, Nigoki. I'd have died if it wasn't for you fixing me up."

The green eyes of the giant being emitted a faint light, mimicking her red one. It was odd, to feel the connection like this. But it gave her a sense of calm inside. While her Evangelion wouldn't be ready for action again for a while, she didn't feel good leaving it alone for too long.

"I see I'm interrupting." An almost playful male voice echoed through the giant cage. "Is that your excuse for being late this time? It may have worked if I hadn't heard it a million times before." The pilot smirked, not turning her head until the faint glow of the connection with her Eva was gone.

"Hey there kiddo." The roguish agent smiled, his voice carrying the weight of a thousand regretted decisions. For her part, Makinami walked over to him, giving a quick hug before they both leaned over the railing, looking over the lake of LCL.

"We miss you, you know? Both me and Misa-chan. She thought after your talk at the carrier, things might have hope again. Still... thank you for coming after the mess with the last Angel." Mari's eyes might have been pointed at the LCL, but her mind was nothing but. With a heavy sigh, the triple agent steeled himself for answering the question he knew would come.

"I know Mari... I'm sorry. Things have been so harsh lately, I couldn't even consider breaking off before today... for what it's worth, I'm proud of how you've been handling it. If I could have been here sooner, I would."

Looking up at nothing in particular, Mari was pretty much expecting his answer already. "Ryoji... how long are you going to stay the truth martyr? What good will it do anyone in the end? I know you don't care about your life... but there are people who do. Do you really think it's worth it?"

Kaji thought for a second about how to even answer. He knew Mari was aware of some of his work, but not to this extent. Taking a cigarette from his pocket, the bitter smoke brought a soothing, familiar feeling as his mind worked. Suddenly, the girl at his side seemed older than him.

"I don't think it's even a question of worth anymore. A miracle would need to happen for me to get out of this."

As Ryoji Kaji absentmindedly picked his cigarette from his mouth to blow out the smoke currently in his lungs, his hand hit a solid surface in midair for a split second, causing him to drop it. Looking at the only person whom he could possible call family, she was smiling gently, her new red eye brighter than it should be.

"Miracles aren't something that just happen. They're something people make happen."

Leaning back over the railing and closing his eyes, the older man slightly smiled.

* * *

 _'This is a place where I feel at home.'_

* * *

A/N: On the next episode, we may actually have romance!


End file.
